Police: Third person arrested in $200,000 embezzlement case of Laredo-area loan service

Elena Del Carmen Rivera was charged with felony theft and engaging in organized criminal activity. The two others arrested in connection with the case — David Gutierrez and Arianne Isabel Lopez — face the same charges.

Elena Del Carmen Rivera was charged with felony theft and engaging in organized criminal activity. The two others arrested in connection with the case — David Gutierrez and Arianne Isabel Lopez — face the

Elena Del Carmen Rivera was charged with felony theft and engaging in organized criminal activity. The two others arrested in connection with the case — David Gutierrez and Arianne Isabel Lopez — face the same charges.

Elena Del Carmen Rivera was charged with felony theft and engaging in organized criminal activity. The two others arrested in connection with the case — David Gutierrez and Arianne Isabel Lopez — face the

Police: Third person arrested in $200,000 embezzlement case of Laredo-area loan service

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A third person was recently arrested in relation with an embezzlement case involving the theft of over $200,000 from Texas Car Title and Payday Services, Laredo police said.

Elena Del Carmen Rivera, 31, was served with arrest warrants Aug. 28.

Rivera was charged with felony theft and engaging in organized criminal activity. The two others arrested in connection with the case — David Gutierrez, 44, and Arianne Isabel Lopez, 24 — face the same charges.

Rivera remained behind bars at the Webb County Jail as of Monday evening. Gutierrez and Lopez are out on bond.

Laredo police said the case unfolded May 26, when a fraud examiner for Texas Car Title and Payday Loan Services reported the alleged theft.

An arrest affidavit states the examiner provided extensive paperwork showing Lopez and Rivera, with the assistance from other people, allegedly embezzled $212,335 through various fraudulent loans.

Authorities said the fraud scheme occurred between June 2015 and March 31, 2016.

Rivera agreed to meet with investigators at LPD headquarters on Aug. 11, 2016. She allegedly stated she did not make any loans without preparing or requesting proper paperwork, police said.

"She stated that running the business with only two employees was overwhelming. She also stated that the files she created for the loans had to be in the office. She stated that there are many boxes of files in the office and maybe they have not been located," the affidavit states.

Rivera stated that a water leak damaged some boxes containing files, police recounted in the criminal complaint.

The investigation also revealed that Lopez allegedly "did create proper loan files, which according to her, when she went back to file them, they were gone," the affidavit states. "She stated that a male by the name of 'David Gutierrez' would take many customers and have them create loans with a promise that he would return with the actual title, which was against procedures.

"She stated that she did create loans under her mother and father's information, which she did cash but only because 'Gutierrez' would tell her to. Lopez said she did not keep any of the money."

Police said they further discovered that Gutierrez allegedly received $100 for each referral he made to Texas Car Title and Payday Services. On July 25, police met with Gutierrez and told him his name came in the investigation because "people said that he asked them for a favor to co-sign for a loan that he was going to take care of and pay off and the money was given to them," the affidavit states.

Court documents state he denied the theft allegations. Gutierrez said the only money he took from the company was the loan for his truck, the affidavit states.